
Snauencr, liut not Untttt^mtion: 

BISHOP DOANE'S 
FOURTH OF JULY ORATION, 

AT 

BURLINGTON COLLEGE. 



M DCCC LII. 



mnmntti ^itsoitt mttt\$tntion; 

THE DUTY OF OUR NATION TO THE WORLD: 

THE ORATION, 

AT 

BURLINGTON COLLEGE, 

ON THE SEVENTY-SIXTH 

ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, 

AND SIXTH, OF 

THE FOUNDINa OF THE COLLEGE, 
JULY 5, MDCCCLII: 

BY 

THE RT. REV. GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE, D,D., LL.D., 

BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE, 

PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE. 



SSutUnston : 

PRINTED BY JOHN RODGERS. 
M DCCC LII. 






How sleep the brave, who sink to rest, 
By all their country's wishes blest ! 
When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns, to deck their hallow'd mould, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod. 
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 

By fairy hands, their knell is rung ; 

By forms unseen, their dirge is sung; 

There, Honour comes, a pilgrim gray, 

To bless the turf that wraps their clay; 

And Freedom shall, awhile, repair, 

To dwell, a weeping hermit, there. — Collihs. 



BuRLIKOTON CotZEGB, Julj 5, 1852. 

Right Reverend and Dear Sir : 

The undersigned were appointed, at the conclusion of your address, 
this day, delivered, in the College Hall, to request, from you, the favour of 
a copy, for publication. 

In the earnest hope, that you will comply with this request ; that the 
lessons of wisdom and patriotism, so eloquently illustrated, may be read 
and learned, by the many, who could not enjoy the advantage of listening 
to its delivery; 

We remain, most truly and respectfully, 

Your friends, 

John S. LiTTEii,, 
Jno. R. Thompsoit, 
Jkto. J. Chetwooo. 
The Right Reverend Bishop Doank. 



0, God! 

we have heard, with our ears, 

and our fathers have declared unto us, 

the noble works; 

that thou didst in their days, 

and in the old time before them. 



The fourth op July is always celebrated at Burlington College, 
as the anniversary of our National Independence, and of the 
founding of the College. The Committee of Arrangements, 
consisting of Messrs. W. C. Doane, and Hobart Chetwood, Alumni 
of the College ; and Mr. Greo. W. Garthwaite, and Mr. C. W. Littell, 
of the Senior Class ', followed, this year, the usual order for the day. 
At 9 o'clock, A. M., a procession of the Faculty, Alumni, and 
Students of the College, preceded by a band of music, moved from 
the College buildings ; and, passing along the bank, was received, at 
Kiverside, by the Right Reverend the President, surrounded by 
numerous guests, and the teachers and pupils of St. Mary's Hall. 
The stars and stripes, craped in sorrow, for Henry Clay, waved 
from a balcony, over the door. Mr. Littell, of the Senior Class, 
on behalf of the Students, then addressed the Bishop : 

Right Reverend President: — 

Again, we meet you, here. Once more, we gather round you, to 
welcome, with glad and grateful hearts, the coming of this bright, 
auspicious, consecrated, day. A day, already rich in high and holy 
associations; which you have rendered still more sacred, by joining 
others with them, which will make each returning anniversary, an 
era, in our lives. This is, to us, a two-fold Jubilee. We celebrate 
the achievement of the independence of our country, and the 
foundation of the College ; which, we trust, will make us worthy to 
be called her sons. 

The pure lessons of enlightened and lofty patriotism, which you 
have so often, and so eloquently, inculcated, have not been forgotten. 
Removed from the arena of political contention, we yet feel deep 
interest, in the momentous occurrences, which are transpiring around 
us, especially, in those of the past eventful year ; and, in the men, 
to whose keeping, is entrusted, the welfare of our native land. Our 
festivities would be incomplete, were we to withhold the tribute of 
our homage, trifling though it be, from him, to whose fame, identified 
with the history of the country, no section, and no party, can lay 



exclusive claim ; whose brilliant triumph has added new splendour, 
to the glories of this day : whom the conqueror of the conqueror, 
has styled ''The greatest living General;" the victorious warrior, 
the unsullied patriot, the illustrious hero, Winfield Scott. But, 
what other mighty name is this, borne onward, by the sighing breeze, 
amid the lamentations of a sorrowing people ! For the first time, in 
half a century, the welkin has not echoed to its utterance ; now, it 
only calls forth tears. He, who, "while life endured, stood erect, 
with spirit unconquered, ready to second the exertions of the people 
in the cause of Liberty," is now laid low, in death ! On this, the 
natal morn of Freedom, on which Jefferson and Adams sank to 
rest, we mourn the death of Henry Clay ! The Model of the noble 
race of American Statesmen is no more ! The nation's gratitude, 
his tomb; the nation^ s wail, his requiem. 

We honour, not only achievements, but the principles, which 
actuated those, by whom they were performed. This is the com- 
memoration, of another triumph of the virtues, which have given 
such glory to our Revolution. The stern endurance, the invincible 
energy, the undaunted courage, which confront the obstacles, dare 
the dangers, and defy the foes, which beset their path, and press 
"right onward," until their object is secured. Virtues, which, in 
other times, combined in other men, successfully contended against 
all that oppression, violence, and tyranny could do; and which, now, 
united in one, have overcome the utmost efforts of ignorance, 
prejudice, and jealousy, to baffle and defeat them. We are standing 
on the battle-ground. And there, upon this river-side, on yonder 
gently rising hill, stands fii-m and sure, a bulwark of our Church 
and State, the trophy of the victory. And, in the midst of us, is 
he, upon whose brow the laurels rest; whom we are proud to call, our 
Father. My Father, on this, the birth-day of our College, it may 
be, with some around us, who regard, with scrutinizing and 
unfriendly gaze, every action here performed; and listen, with sharp 
and criticising ears, to every syllable we utter : but, certainly, with 
' others, whose eyes beam on us with a sympathetic lustre, whose 
bosoms beat responsive to our own, we repeat an oft-told tale, when, 
with all the warmth and fervor of our hearts, we assure you, of our 
deep, unfaltering, devoted reverence and love. AVe have reaped the 



benefits of all your labours and of all your sacrifices ; and it would 
ill become us, to permit our voices, to be only silent now, while 

"The clouds still lower about our house." 

Nor are we your only witnesses. You, like the Roman veteran, 
may point to the scars upon your war-marked front ; and bid them 
tell, in tones of far more significance and power, the story of your 
fidelity and wrongs. This is no mere empty show, no idle adulation. 
If there are any here, who impute these words, to motives which 
would make them unfit for us to utter, and for you to hear, though 
perfectly regardless of the obliquity, which can recognise flattery, in 
this simple expression of our attachment, we say to them, in the 
language of another of our little band — language, far more expres- 
sive, than any that I can commcind — " Let them wait, before they 
judge so harshly, until they see a single act in all our lives, to 
contradict what we have said.* " Omnis virtutis laus, in actione 
consistit." The words of others may record their appreciation of 
you ; it shall be ours, to live it, day by day. By every consideration, 
that can inspire love, and gratitude, and admiration, 

" We are yours ; 
To serve you nobly, in the commoa cause, 
True to the death." 

May your prayer be granted, that, from this, our College, " there 
may go forth, in an increasing multitude, a line that shall be worthy 
of its lineage ; a line of Christian freemen," who shall be foremost 
in the ranks of the defenders of our Country and our Faith. And 
may the earliest rays of the rising sun, draw from it, as from the 
fabled statue, on the old Egyptian shore, a strain of harmony j 
which, swelling louder and yet louder, shall peal its clarion notes, 
where the battle rages fiercest, breathing courage into the hearts of 
those who strive for Truth ; and, to its foes, defiance. 

So resplendent and enduring, will be the monument, which you 
have reared. Nor will this be the only memorial, that after ages 



•Valedictory Oration, of Hobart Chetwood, A. B., of the Class of 1851, 



will retain, of you. Your name, when you have passed away, will 
be your proudest eulogy ; and will live so long as piety and virtue 
are revered, on earth. Your memory will forever " smell sweet, and 
blossom, in the dust." 

At a few minutes past 1, a very large concourse of friends and 
visitors, including the ladies of St. Mary's Hall, assembled in the 
College Study, which was appropriately decorated. We noticed upon 
the stage, besides the President and Faculty of the College, the Rev. 
Mr. Germain, Judge Carpenter, Messrs. John R. Thompson, J. J. 
Chetwood, G. S. Cannon, and Joel W. Condit, of the Trustees j G. 
H. Doane, M.D., and Messrs. Johnston, Mayers, and C W. Smith, of 
the Alumni ; the Rev. Dr. Coleman, Rev. Messrs. Odenheimer and 
Hopkins, and the Rev. Dr. Hawes, of Hartford, Conn., and the Rev. 
Mr. Ogden, of Mississippi, with other distinguished strangers. The 
Declaration of Independence was admirably read, by Mr. Klapp, 
of the Senior Class ; and after the Bishop's Oration, " Influence, 
WITHOUT Intervention; the duty op our Nation, to the 
"World," John S. Littell, Esq., rose, and called Judge Carpenter 
to the Chair, and moved that a Committee be appointed, to 
ask, of the Bishop, a copy of his able and eloquent Oration, 
for publication. The motion was put and carried unanimously; 
and the Chair appointed Messrs. John S. Littell, John R. 
Thompson, and John J. Chetwood. Dr. E. Townsend moved that 
a Committee be appointed, to collect funds to defray the expenses of 
publication. The Chair appointed Dr. Townsend, Messrs. G. S. 
Cannon, C. W. Smith, A. B. and J. T. Morton. The company then 
repaired to the refectory ; where an ample and handsome collation 
was prepared. And so ended a day of unmarred pleasure; enjoyed to 
its full extent, and in perfect moderation. 



ORATION. 



Nations are men, in masses. The same God made them, 
nations, that, first, made them, men. He " hath made, of 
one blood, all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of 
the earth ; and hath determined the times before appointed, 
and the bounds of their habitation." They are, thus, moral 
aggregates ; and held for moral obligations : the same, as 
nations, which they own, as men. Of the one, as of the 
other, it is true: "none of us liveth, to himself; and no 
man dieth, to himself." On one, as on the other, it is 
enjoined: "look not every man on his own things; but, 
every man, also, on the things of others." Of the one, as of 
the other, it holds good : " love worketh no ill to his neigh- 
bour ; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law." By these, 
and such like, rules, a Christian nation, as a Christian man, 
is governed. Such fruits, as these, demonstrate Christian 
men, alike ; and Christian nations. And, for nations, as for 
men, there is a rule of holy retribution: "therefore, I say 
unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and 
given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof." 

These premises will quite suffice, for the conclusions, 
which I mean to draw. It follows, from them, that a nation 
owes a nation, as a man, to men, the impulses and efibrts of 
a true benevolence. Not, in the interchange of commerce ; 
not, in the negotiations of diplomacy ; not, in the formal- 
ities of etiquette ; are the mutual debts, which nations owe 
each other, to be discharged : but, in the aims and offices 
of an all-embracing, all-enduring, charity. The law of 
Christ, for nations, as for men, is still the same : " thou shalt 
love thy neighbour, as thyself." And, when the question 
rises, in the selfish, self-excusing, heart, " Who is my neigh- 
bour?" — the Lord Himself, in His own image, in the Good 



10 

Samaritan, supplies, at once, tlie answer, and tlie illustration, 
" Which now, of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour 
unto him, that fell among the thieves ? And he said, He 
that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus, unto him, Go, 
and do thou, likewise." 

We are ready, now, to apply to our own case, the princi- 
ples, thus, stated. We are a nation ; a great and powerful 
nation ; a free and happy nation. This is the six and 
seventieth anniversary of seventeen hundred and seventy- 
six. And, all the glorious hopes of the immortal band, who 
made this day, immortal, have been more than realized, in 
happiness and freedom. The handful, that, then, skirted the 
long sea-board of the wild Atlantic, are now, five and 
twenty millions ; and join hands, from the Atlantic, to the 
broad Pacific. It is a simple fact, from which all boasting 
is excluded, since we owe whatever we possess to Him, to 
whom our fathers looked, that these United States, are, 
now, the equal of the chiefest of the nations of the world. 
England and France, and Russia, stand, on the same line. 
The rest, in various grades of obvious inferiority. In the 
respect of freedom, we surpass them all. Here, alone, in all 
the world, the problem is wrought out, of true and perfect 
freedom. No hereditary rank. No privileged class. No 
standing army. No public debt. The utmost scope to 
enterprize. The utmost enjoyment to possession. Compe- 
tence, within the reach of all, who will. Distinction, free, to 
all, alike. No service, but of God. No submission, but to 
His law. No dependence, but on His will. "What nation 
is there, so great," we may say, v/ith as much truth, as Moses 
said, "who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our 
God is, in all things, that we call upon Him for !" But, as 
truly, as we owe not these great blessings, to ourselves; so 
truly, for ourselves, we hold them not. We are the trustees, 
for the world, of equal laws and of free institutions. We 
owe, to all, who have them not, the benefits, which spring 
from them, alone , which they, alone, can keep ; whicli. 



11 

without them, if they could be, were not worth having. 
The God, Who made, "of one blood, all the nations of men," 
and Who has, thus, made us, to differ, from all others, de- 
signs, by us, to spread them, through the world ; and holds 
us answerable, for their unlimited diffusion. " We hold 
these truths to be self-evident." 

And, now, the question rises, how shall this diffusion be 
accomplished? Shall it be, by the force of arms? Shall it 
be, by diplomatic art. Shall it be, by any of the forms of 
that, which is proverbially known, as "intervention"? I most 
distinctly answer, No ! The right to intervene is but the 
right of the strong arm. It was the man, that intervened, 
between the lion and the horse. If one may claim the right, 
another may refuse. Then, it is the question of the strongest. 
Then, must come in the last resort. Then, is their hour, 
who make a solitude, and call it peace. 

And, intervention is as inexpedient, as it is wrong. 
What is the intervention, that preserves the spheres, forever, 
in their starry tracks? The quiet, steady, constant, unper- 
ceived, and, therefore, unresisted, agency of gravitation. 
What is the intervention, between the ice-bound earth, when 
January piles its snows ; and the broad waving of the golden 
grain, that woos the wind, upon the slopes of twice ten 
thousand hills? The quiet, steady, constant, unperceived, 
and, therefore, unresisted, agency of all the skiey influences j 
the silent dew, the gracious rain, the whispering air, the 
genial sun. What is the intervention, between the infant of 
an hour, and the majestic man ; the mill-boy of the Slashes, 
and our incomparable Clay ? The quiet, steady, constant, 
unperceived, and, therefore, unresisted, agency of education ; 
the father's toils, the father's training, the father's good ex- 
ample ; the mother's tears, the mother's teaching, and the 
mother's prayers. Where, in God's world, does interven- 
tion come, directly, in, but, in the earthquake, that convulses 
hemispheres ; or the tornado, that sweeps towers and tem- 
ples, from their places ; or the red bolt, that rives the oak, 



12 

that has been shelter, to a hundred generations ! Where, in 
God's world, material, intellectual, moral, is any thing ac- 
complished, for His glory, or the good of men, but in the 
agency of influence. The antediluvian forests, melted into 
coal. The old deposits of the flood, all mellowed, into marl. 
The gold, in grains, ripening, in darkness, at the mountain's 
foot, or in the river's bed. And, more than all, the wealth 
of mind, maturing, and aspiring and victorious, over every 
form and agency of matter : in cells, that do but glimmer, in 
the scant and straggling ray, that seems to wonder how it 
found an entrance ; or, in the garret, where the chandler's 
boy devours the borrowed book, by the dim light of the 
secreted candle. And, so it is, with nations. To be helped, 
at all, they must, first, help themselves. They must atchieve 
the freedom, they would prize. They must earn the happi- 
ness, they would enjoy. They must struggle upward, to the 
light, that can illume the soul. How can another's toil give 
vigour to my muscles ! How can the intellectual processes 
of Plato or of Pliny develope powers of thought, in me ? 
How can another's suff'ering teach me patience ? Or, ano- 
ther's triumphs, give me the victory of myself? It is the 
universal law of moral natures, that, in the use of God's 
endowments, they must make, or mar, themselves. " As a 
man thinketh, so he is". As a man will be, so he may 
be. And the nation, that would vindicate its freedom ; the 
nation, that would rise to greatness ; the nation, that would 
soar to glory ; must bare its own broad breast ; must nerve 
its own strong arm ; must imp its own swift wing. Must 
come to be, what it, first, dared to be. 

'• Thy Spirit, Independence, let me share, 

"Lord of the lion-heart and eagle eye : 
" Thee let me follow, with my bosom bare ; 

" Nor heed the storm, that howls along the sky." 

The debt, which, as a nation, then, we owe, to nations, is 
not the debt of intervention ; but, of influence. We have 
no right to intervene. We could not intervene, and keep 
our own impregnable equilibrium. We could do no good, 



13 

by intervention. Not, without reason, has Almighty God 
made us a nation, by ourselves ; and given us a hemisphere, 
to fill. Not, without infinite wisdom, has it been given to 
lis, to be " like a star, and dwell apart." The central sun, 
that holds the planets in their places, and drives them on in 
ever circling spheres, itself, is but a star, that dwells apart. 
Its very distance is its power. Its very separateness is its 
true sovereignty. And, so it is ; precisely, so, with us. The 
figure is no stronger than the fact. As he has said, who 
was at once the bravest, wisest, greatest, man, " the very 
foremost man of all the world" — a curse must fall upon this 
land, when he, who was " first in peace"; and " first in 
war," ceases to be " first in the hearts of his countrymen" 
— as George Washington has said, "Europe has a set of pri- 
mary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote re- 
lation. Hence, she must be engaged, in frequent contro- 
versies, the causes of which are essentially foreign, to our 
concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to im- 
plicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissi- 
tudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and col- 
lisions of her friendships or enmities. Our detached and 
distant situation invites and enables us, to pursue a diffe- 
rent course." " Why forego the advantages of so peculiar 
a situation? Why quit our own, to stand upon foreign 
ground ? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of 
any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity, in 
the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humour 
or caprice." These are immortal words. Immortal, as 
wisdom. Immortal, as freedom. Immortal, as truth. While 
they are clung to, with the other precious counsels of that in^ 
imitable paper, which is to us the Will and Testament of 
him, who was, indeed, the Father of his Country, the inde- 
pendence of this nation, will remain impregnable ; and vir- 
tue will go out from it, to elevate and bless the races of 
mankind. And, never was I so proud of my own country- 
men ; never had I such confidence in the Republic ; never 



14 

did I feel so strong a claim, on every patriot of America, to 
offer thanks and praises to Almighty God, as when, to all the 
blandishments of eloquence, and all the impulses of feeling, 
and all the promptings of ambition, this nation, through the 
great men, that conduct its counsels, first ; and, then, by the 
full, free, fervent, undivided, suflYage of its myriads and 
millions, as with the beating of one mighty heart, refused to 
recognize the claim, for foreign intervention. 

But, still, there is a debt from such a nation, as the Lord 
God has made us to be, to other nations, and to all mankind. 
A debt, that never can be paid. A debt, that grows with 
every instalment of its discharge. The debt of influence, as 
a free, intelligent, and Christian nation. The influence of 
our history ; the influence of our institutions ; the influence 
of our example. 

i. The influence of History, is, indeed, a mighty and majes- 
tic influence. What power, in the mere names of Marathon, 
Thermopylae and Leuctra I What power, in the mere names 
of Cincinnatus, Tell and Bruce ! And we have made our 
watchwords, for the world. We have our Bunker Hill, our 
Saratoga, our Trenton, and our Yorktown. We have our 
Putnam and our Hamilton ; our Hull and our Decatur ; our 
Taylor and our Clay ; our Daniel Webster and our Win- 
field Scott. The History of our Revolution is unsurpassed, 
in glory. The toils, the trials, the sufi'erings, the tears, the 
blood, by which our independence was atchieved and set- 
tled, are far " beyond all Greek, all Roman fame." In every 
nation of the world, its date must find a. place, next after 
that, which gave the Saviour, to mankind. And, the paper 
which has marked this day with glory, is to be the Magna 
Charta of the race. IJpon us, it must devolve, that, as our 
history began, it shall go on. The wisdom, the moderation, 
the integrity, the devotion, the self-denial, the self-sacrifice, 
of seventeen hundred and seventy-six, have made the open- 
ing chapters of our history, as hard to emulate, as they are 
worthy of our emulation. The eyes of the whole world are 



15 

upon us. And we shall shame our sires, and dispossess 
our sons, if we permit one blot to fall upon the glorious 
page, that chronicles the wars, and brightens with the fame, 
of Washington. 

ii. Even more important, in discharging our great obliga- 
tions, to mankind, is the influence of our Institutions. A 
wisdom, more than hum; n, inspired the counsels of the 
Founders and Framers of our Government. The heavenly- 
grace, which Franklin urged them to invoke, wa'^ freely 
poured upon their hearts. The Constitution of the United 
States, after a trial of almost seventy years ; through all the 
vicissitudes of peace and war, of poverty and plenty, of 
prosperity and adversity; maintains its marvellous equipoise ; 
expands, with the expansion of our country ; strengthens, 
with the multiplication of our inhabitants ; is equal to every 
emergency ; is superior to every assault ; spans our wide 
continent, as one triumphal arch, laved, at one base, by 
the Atlantic, and, by the Pacific, at the other ; and sheds, on 
five and twenty millions of freemen, the light, the peace, the 
joy, the unity, the indivisibility, of perfect freedom. To our 
children, and our children's children, and their children's 
children, "an inheritance, for ever." To the nations of 
mankind, the bow, which God, Himself, has set, to span the 
sky ; and tell them, that, for them, the days of tyranny are 
numbered ; that, for them, the storm will shortly pass ; that, 
for them, the light of freedom soon will spread upon the 
mountains ; and their joy, as freemen, be, as theirs, who 
bring the harvest home. 

"O thus be it ever" where " freemen shall stand, 

" Between their loved home, and the war's desolation ; 

"Bless'd Avith victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land 
" Praise the Power, that hath made and preserved," it "a nation. 

" For conquer" they "must," when their cause shall be just, 

" While this is their motto, ' In God is our trust '; 

"And the star-spangled banner, in triumph, shall wave, 

" O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave." 

iii. And one more form of influence, there is, for which we 



16 

are all debtors, to mankind/ the influence of our example. 
"A city, set upon a hill, cannot be hid." Men, that are walk- 
ing in the clear, calm, cool, t'arsparent, mountain light of 
freedom, must be content, to have their attitudes and actions 
scanned and scrutinized. The eyes of men are turned on 
us. Whether the nations, that are grinding in the prison 
house, or groping in the gloom, shall see the light, and win 
their freedom, rests with us. The Spartans made the Helots 
drunk, to warn their children, against drunkenness. And, if 
the pride of power, and plenty of prosperity, shall madden 
us, with their intoxication, we shall but brutalize ourselves, 
and fright the nations, by our fate. "He is the freeman, 
whom the truth makes free." And, only, "where the Spirit 
of the Lord is," is true " liberty." Only, as we make 
the law of God our rule ; conform our lives to the divine 
and perfect pattern of His Son ; and sink our selfishness and 
self-sufficiency, in the desire to honor Him, by doing good 
to other men, shall we approve ourselves His freemen ; per- 
petuate the freedom He has granted ; and make the world 
in love with it, and sharers of its blessings. 

Upon the young, who hear me, the reliance, chiefly, is, 
that these things may be so. To the annual streams,' that 
are to go forth, from this living fountain, we commit a sacred 
trust. The College, where their youth is nurtured, blends 
the kindred waves of patriotism and piety. Founded upon 
the Rock, Christ Jesus, it combines the sacred interests of 
country and of Church. Next to the holy Festivals, which 
Christendom devotes, to the commemoration of the Christ, 
who made her Christendom, we cherish the birth day of our 
Independence, and the birth day of our Washington. To- 
day, a noble name, among the few, that men have borne, 
worthy a place with his, lies, sadly, on our hearts. The 
venerable dust of Henry Clay has not yet reached its resting 
place, beneath the shades of Ashland. A nation's tears sad- 
den, to-day, a nation's joy. A leaf of cypress mingles with 
the laurel wreath, to-day. The stars rise, clouded, to our 



17 

eye. And, with the stripes, funereal crape is blended. It 
is well, for us, that it should be so. "It is good," for na- 
tions, as it is for men, "to be afflicted." They learn, so, to 
"cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils." They 
are taught, so, that for nations, as for men, the only trust is, 
in the living God. They are admonished, so, that "men 
must die : principles never." The heroes of the Revolution 
are all gone. The giants of the next age are passing, from 
among us. The third act of the great drama of the nation 
hastens to its close. In the next, you that are gathered, here, 
must be among the actors. I would have you lay to heart 
the solemn and impressive thought. I would have you 
look, with reverent admiration, on the shadows, that are 
flitting, by you, to the grave. I would have you emulate 
their virtues, and realize their example. Imitate their man- 
liness. Imitate their moderation. Imitate their patriotism. 
Swear, to day, to be true, as they were, to the Republic. 
Bless God, to-day, for the treasure of their service, and the 
inheritance of their example. Pray to God, to-day, that, in 
none of you, their fame may suffer loss ; that, by each of 
you, according to his measure, the void, which they have 
left, may be filled up; that, through each of you, the Ught 
of Christian Freedom may pass on, undimmed. Noblest, 
among the torch-bearers of liberty, was he, who, to the ser- 
vices of fifty glorious years, added, as its becoming crown 
and consummation, his dying testimony, to the lesson, which 
his life exemplified, and which I have sought to teach, to 
day : that influence, without intervention, is the duty 

OF OUR nation, to THE WORLD." 

" Praise to the man ! A nation stood, 

"Beside his coffin, with wet eyes; 
" Her brave, her beautiful, her good, 

" As when a loved one dies." 

" And consecrated ground, it is ; 

*' The last, the hallowed home, of one, 
" Who lives, upon our memories ; 

" Though, with the buried, gone." 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 




